Dell All-In-One 948 InkJet Printer Review

I purchased the Dell AIO 948 Product (Red) printer for two reasons: first, my laptop from Dell had been robust and lasted over five years; and second, the price for the printer couldn't be beat. Being able to print double-sided, scan, copy, and fax wirelessly, at a cost of $120, was far below any other similar printers I could find anywhere. The fact that my purchase supported Bono's product (red) campaign was icing on the cake.

Setup of the printer caused a bit of headache. The printer comes separate from the wireless card, which has to be installed manually; when I followed the directions regarding installation, it did not work. I went back and tried it multiple times, and eventually it worked, though it is not clear to me what I did differently.

Overall, the printing and functions have been great on the machine. I don't use the fax capability, and haven't taken advantage of the USB port or the card reader. Printing two-sided without fiddling with the paper has been great.

Three frustrations I have had: first, my laptop sometimes can't find the printer, which I remedy by reinstalling the driver; second, the software that came with the printer won't let me initiate a scan from my computer; finally, the ink. Printer manufacturers don't make their money off the sale of the printer; they get it from the ink. Large printer companies have refill or imitation cartridges readily available. Because Dell does not have a large printer buisness, it's easier to go through them and buy the ink, though it means paying full price.